Chief Justice Obaidul Hassan has requested the law experts to extend their helping hands with thoughtful opinions and suggestions in order to establish a process for solving the problems of the judiciary.
In this regard, Bangladesh Post on Saturday ran a story headlined “Move for more vibrant judiciary” saying they (law experts) also have been requested to send their suggestions in writing on behalf of their respective institutions or by themselves. The story detailed everything.
We think it is very clear to all that the Chief Justice’s main target is to free the judiciary from mismanagement and irregularities. So, all courts will have to expedite the activities, take necessary research-based steps for increasing the standard of trial process and establishing necessary infrastructures. All believe judiciary is still the last hope of people’s confidence. People’s confidence has now become the main source of internal strength of the country’s judicial system.
We think country’s judiciary has achieved a remarkable success and it is now in a strong position. The judiciary is now playing a key role in ensuring justice for the people seeking justice in the higher and lower courts by conducting trial process. In this regard, we also believe our judges will remain conscious about ever changing legal and technological issues. So, we believe our judges and lawyers will be working hard more to make the judiciary, the last hope of people’s confidence a vibrant and dynamic one.
Besides, the courts will reduce the number of pending cases which are the causes of the untold sufferings to the litigants. After the brutal assassination of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the anti-liberation forces tried to kill democracy forever by imposing martial law in the country in many ways.
But the Supreme Court of Bangladesh has established the democratic rights of the country’s people by declaring the 5th and 7th amendments to the Constitution illegal. Therefore, the judges will be taking care of the litigants’ rights so that they do not have to roam in the court’s corridor day after day to get a copy of the judgment after the verdict of the case.
All believe judiciary is
still the last hope of
people’s confidence
The government firmly believes in the independence of the judiciary and is making sincere efforts to increase the facilities of judges. In this regard, the government is also very sincere in modernising the judiciary by taking up the task of implementing e-judiciary project to achieve the goal.
It has been noticed that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has given special attention to the judiciary and undertook different initiatives for its development. Thus, an e-judiciary project is being implemented to develop the whole judiciary system.
Besides, the government is also working to enhance the logistic supports including increase the number of judges for improvement of the judicial services.
The number of judges is inadequate in proportion to the number of pending cases in courts. Therefore, the number of judges needs to be made double in phases from lower to top courts in order to reduce the backlog of cases. Besides, mediation process can play a big role in easing backlog of cases in courts.
All judges, lawyers and all other stakeholders will have to come forward in disposing of cases through mediation. We believe our judiciary system will be more dynamic to protect the basic human rights, establish the rule of law and provide justice to the litigants as early as possible.
We think country’s senior lawyers, incumbent and former attorney generals, present and former presidents and secretaries of Supreme Court Bar Council will give suggestions and opinions to the Chief Justice. So, the Chief Justice would collect opinions and recommendations from all the stakeholders one by one.
These recommendations and opinions will help the Chief Justice and other senior justices to adopt a long-term plan by discussing, reviewing and researching those. Only then, country’s judicial system will be more strengthened, effective and independent.